Eastern Wayne Today

Wayne State University's men's basketball team secured a 67-59 win over Talladega College during the inaugural Hoops & Culture HBCU College Expo at WSU Fieldhouse on Thursday.

The game began with Wayne State scoring the first two baskets, with Jon Brantley and Jordan Briggs putting points on the board. After Talladega tied the score early, Brantley hit a three-pointer to regain the lead for Wayne State. The Tornadoes later built a 10-point advantage late in the first half, but Wayne State responded with an 11-1 run to tie it at halftime, with ten of those points coming from Briggs.

In the second half, Carlos Paul III scored five straight points to give Wayne State a lead they would not relinquish. Although Talladega narrowed the gap several times, Wayne State's 10-0 run midway through the half created enough separation. Jotham Nweke contributed six points during that stretch.

Wayne State shot 37.9 percent from the field compared to Talladega's 29.6 percent. The Warriors also out-rebounded their opponent by ten and recorded more assists but committed more turnovers than Talladega.

Briggs led all scorers with 22 points while Nweke and Paul III each added 13 for Wayne State. Nweke finished just shy of a double-double in rebounds, and Kelvin Tamakloe matched his total on the boards. Jalen Jenkins led in assists for Wayne State and had three steals defensively; JaKobie Boose contributed two blocks.

For Talladega College, Eric Howard Jr. scored 15 points and Tre Simmons added 11. Three Tornadoes each grabbed six rebounds.

Wayne State will play its final exhibition before starting regular season play against Michigan-Dearborn on November 14 at WSU Fieldhouse.